A Father's Pain
by Raych K
Summary: How long can Shawn hold his breath?


A Father's Pain

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Psych. This is just for fun, trust me, no one would pay for my stuff.

He was a strong swimmer. Juliet knew he was. How could Shawn grow up just feet from the ocean and not be, right? She watched from Henry Spencer's boat as precious seconds ticked by with no sign of the psychic.

Shawn had been pulling up the chest that Danny Kane had tossed overboard a few days earlier. Kane had hidden a Ming Vase in the chest after steeling it from the Art History Museum. Hoping to come back for it after everything settled down, he'd attached a buoy to lead him back to the spot.

Gus and Shawn had figured out his plan. After Shawn's vision at the station, Juliet and Lassiter had rushed to the marina. The psychic and his partner right behind them. Henry had been ready to launch his boat for a few days of fishing, but when all four piled on, his plans changed.

Feeling the heat, Kane had gone after his treasure. There hadn't been much of a fight. Lassiter had apprehended him with no problem. At least, until Shawn had reached down to retrieve the chest from the ocean.

Kane kicked at Lassiter forcing him into Shawn who, with the weight of the chest, had fallen overboard into the water. He hadn't resurfaced. Lassiter and Henry were busy subduing Kane, and Gus was trying to keep from losing his lunch after a wave of seasickness had come over him in the mad rush to get to the criminal. Juliet seemed to be the only one who had noticed that Shawn had not come up yet.

She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and tossed it carelessly to the deck. She did the same with her shoes. Then remembering her gun, she unlatched her shoulder holster and let it fall. Hearing the heavy thumps hitting his boat, Henry looked up in time to see Juliet dive overboard.

"What's she up to?" Lassiter asked, rubbing the knee Kane had kicked causing him to lose his balance.

"Where's Shawn?" Henry asked after looking around and not seeing his son.

"He went over," Lassiter said. Going to the side to search the water he started to say, "He should be. . . "

Henry dove in before Lassiter could finish.

Shawn struggled desperately with the rope wrapped around his ankle, but it seemed the more he tried to untangle himself the tighter it got. "Don't panic," he thought to himself. He knew he would run out of air in a few seconds. He was already feeling lightheaded. He reached down to pull the rope and felt a pair of hands touch his.

Juliet. She was there to save him. He smiled at her and pointed to his foot. An instant later his father was on the other side of him, motioning for Jules to go back to the boat. His father worked at the tangled mess, his strong fingers trying to loosen the knot that had somehow formed around Shawn's shin.

His father let go of the rope and kicked hard propelling himself to the surface. Shawn frantically shook his head. "Don't leave me, Dad!" His mind screamed. He reached for his father's foot a second too late, his fingertips barely grazing the worn deck shoes.

It seemed like days, but Shawn knew it was only seconds. Henry and Juliet were back. He could feel the pull on the rope just under his foot. Juliet sawing at it with some sort of knife, Shawn was sure came from his father's tackle box.

Shawn's lungs were going to explode. He couldn't hold his breath any longer. Henry reached out and placed his hand on his son's cheek. "Look at me," he said without words.

"You can tell what someone is going to do, just by looking into their eyes. Their eyes move before their body," Shawn remembered his father telling him when he was a boy.

He had to have air. He needed. . .

Juliet felt Shawn kicking and struggling. She wished she could tell him to hold still. She almost had the rope cut. Just a few more fibers and he would be free. Then she felt him relax. She glanced up quickly to see what looked like Henry kissing Shawn. She realized he was trying to provide Shawn with much needed air.

She could see Shawn's eyes had closed, his body had gone limp. His arms were floating at his sides, the water that surrounded them causing them to sway slightly with each ebb and flow. She moved the knife as fast and as hard as she could, back and forth. Finally, she felt the tension in the rope break free. Shawn started to sink to the ocean floor. She and Henry each took a limp arm and kicked hard toward the boat and precious air.

By the time they reached the top, her lungs ached to pull in oxygen. The boat had drifted a few feet away. Henry drew in a breath, pulled his son's head back and tried desperately to fill Shawn's lungs with air.

"Carlton, help get him on board!" Juliet called to her partner once they had reached the side of the boat.

Gus, who had lost his battle with seasickness moments before helped Lassiter pull Shawn onto the deck. "He's not breathing," he said as Henry and Juliet climbed aboard.

"Move, move!" Henry shouted, leaning over Shawn. He jerked the younger man's head back once again to start CPR. Bending down he listened, at the same time he checked Shawn's pulse. "Nothing. _Damn it, Shawn! _Carlton, start chest compressions."

Lassiter nodded and got into place. "Come on, Spencer," he said to his sometimes co-worker.

Henry addressed Gus as Lassiter counted off compressions. "Go to the radio, call the coast guard. Get them here, now!" Gus swallowed the fear for his friend and sprang into action.

Juliet watched, not sure what to do. "Hey, I didn't mean for nobody to die," Kane said from his handcuffed position near the stern.

"Shawn, come on!" Henry shouted again, his voice cracking. "Don't do this, Shawn!"

Juliet covered her mouth, trying to muffle her ragged cries. Minutes ticked by, nothing.

"Henry," Lassiter said softly, though he was breathing hard from his exertions. "Henry he's. . . " He touched the older man's shoulder.

"No, don't stop, Juliet change places with Carlton," Henry snapped. When she didn't move, he looked down at Shawn.

He was still, no breath, no pulse. His hair was plastered to his head, drops of water beading on his pale face. Henry's shoulders started to shake. He pulled Shawn's body to his chest and rocked him back and forth. "No!" He wept for his son. "Shawn, please," he cried, oblivious to the others near him.

Gus walked forward and fell to his knees. "Shawn?" He asked Juliet weakly. He saw her tears and knew that his friend was gone. He crossed his arms over his chest and put his head down to sob silently for his friend.

Henry laid Shawn back on the deck as gently as he could, then stood to face Kane. "You!" He shouted at the man. "You did this to my son! You killed him!" Henry started forward only to be stopped by Lassiter.

"I didn't . . . I never hurt anybody. Ask around. It was an accident!" Kane tried to defend himself.

"Let me go!" Henry yelled.

Lassiter warred with himself. He could let Henry go and be responsible for whatever the older man did to Kane or he could reason with Henry. He chose to let him go.

But Henry didn't head for the man. He went back to Shawn. He bent down and started rescue breathing. "Henry, what . . . " Lassiter started.

"I'm not giving up, not yet." Henry looked into Lassiter's eyes. That was all it took for the detective to start compressions once again.

"One, two, three . . . " Carlton counted aloud until he reached fifteen, stopping long enough to allow Henry to give Shawn two breaths. He continued until he heard Juliet yelling from behind him. He was so focused on his job he didn't understand her right away.

Juliet heard it first. A gurgle, then a cough filled with sea water. "Carlton, stop!" She shouted.

"Come on, Shawn, cough it up!" Henry cried as he rolled his son onto his side. "That's it," his tears mingled with relieved laughter.

Shawn retched and water poured from his lungs onto the deck of his father's boat. "Shawn!" He could hear shouting all around him. Someone was yelling for Jules to get a blanket from below the deck. Gus was calling his name. Lassiter was yelling something about the coast guard. "Can you hear me?" That was his father.

"Dad?" He whispered, hoarsely.

"Son, you're gonna be okay," Henry cried as he lifted him to his chest again. "Thank you, Carlton. Thank you, thank you." He wept as he held his son tightly.

Shawn could feel the cool wetness of his father's shirt. Wet. He'd been in the water. His chest hurt, there was a sharp pain in his ribs, two maybe three were broken. He knew that feeling, it wasn't the first time. He just wanted to lie still, he was afraid he was going to be sick again, "Dad, st-st-stop," he stuttered. He was shivering now. Shawn thought his body might fly apart at any moment.

"Henry, easy," Lassiter said, pulling the younger Spencer from his father's arms. "Give him a minute." He helped Shawn lay back down and draped the blanket over him. Lassiter pulled his suit jacket off and laid that on top of the blanket for additional warmth.

"Here comes the coast guard!" Gus shouted, waving his arms wildly at the much larger boat making its way toward them.

"Dad?" Shawn called quietly.

"I'm here," Henry said leaning forward to hear him over the coast guard medics that were boarding the boat.

"Did I die?"

Henry took his son's hand in one of his and used his other hand to smooth Shawn's wet hair from his forehead. He spoke the only two words he could get past the lump in his throat, "You lived."

The End.

A little angsty, I hope you enjoyed it.


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